We're A Team
by MaidGisele
Summary: The night before a mission, Clint comforts Natasha. Short/complete. Pre-Movie.


**My first Clint/Tasha fic! I find it a lot more difficult writing for movies than for books, just because you don't see the characters already down in writing. So it's hard to write them out and stay true to their characters. Tell me how you think I did!**

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Clint sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his boots. He glanced over at Natasha, who was standing in front of the hotel room window, lost in thought. Her lower lip trembled ever so slightly. She always got uneasy during the 12 hours or so before a mission. Quiet and scared, scared that she'd go back to who she was before she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. He felt sorry for her, but Clint knew from experience that it was best not to ask questions. Natasha sighed quietly.

"Tasha." Clint said. "You should get some rest."

Natasha looked over at him, her expression unreadable. She took a deep breath. "Yeah. I'm coming."

She sat on the other side of the bed and started unlacing her shoes. Clint threw himself ungracefully onto the pillow, staying close to the edge of the bed. He felt ever so slightly embarrassed. He and Natasha had known each-other for three years now, and in the past year they had grown pretty close. It wasn't their first mission together, but it was their first mission going undercover as a married couple.

Once he saw that Natasha was settled on her side of the bed, Clint turned over and shut off the lamp on the table next to the bed. He wasn't very tired, so he just lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, twisting the hard gold ring on his finger and listening to Natasha's steady breathing. She wasn't really like the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, he reflected. They were mostly cold and hard and even merciless, when it was required. They never questioned orders. Natasha...well, apart from being a born rebel, she had a side that could be sweet and considerate. Almost loving, when she wasn't feeling trapped inside her nightmarish past. Clint knew what that was like. Old sins and guilts creeping into your life, tormenting your thoughts and your dreams.

Clint didn't know very much about Natasha's past. But he knew more than most people. Sometimes, during missions, she'd talk to him. Not really meaning to, but sometimes stories would just slip out. In the cold and dark, he'd hear her tell him about her bloody missions as a young girl. Then she would retreat into silence, and Clint would wrap his arm around her shoulders and tell her it was all right, because things were different now.

Some time later, Clint was finally getting drowsy. He was feeling himself fall asleep, enjoying the sensation of slowly losing consciousness. Suddenly, Natasha hurled herself forward, yelling something in Russian. Clint sat up, and Natasha stared at him frantically. "What is it, Nat?" Clint asked, reaching for her arm. She shoved his hand away.

"They are, we, that is, I was going to...oh." She stopped, looking confused. Clint reached for her again, and took her hand. She was shaking.

"Hey," he whispered. "Hey. It was a nightmare. " Natasha didn't look entirely convinced. Clint caressed her fingers. "You're safe now."

Natasha looked down at Clint's hand around hers. "Yes," she breathed shakily. "Yes of course. I'm...I'm so sorry." In the moonlight, Clint saw a single tear run down her cheek. He moved forward and wrapped his strong arms around her. Natasha tensed for a second, then sighed and leaned into him. "You're safe," Clint whispered into her hair. She nodded.

Time passed. "Do you want to talk about it?" Clint asked after a while.

"Not really," Natasha mumbled.

"Fine by me. It's late though. Do you want to lie down now?" he asked.

"Yeah." She paused. "Only...would you feel weird if...I mean, could you keep your arms around me for a little bit?"

Clint nodded. "Sure. No problem." They leaned back against the pillows. After a few minutes, Clint felt Natasha starting to relax.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Don't...don't tell anyone, okay? About, well, about any of this. What happened tonight."

Clint chuckled quietly. "Of course not." He rubbed her arm gently. "After all, we're a team, right? You and me."

Clint could hear her smile when she replied, "Yup. And just about the strangest team I've ever seen."

They both laughed into the darkness.

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**The End.**


End file.
